To the Members of the Scholarship Committee:
Mi tio Esteban once said “tu eres lo que tu eres y tu eres Mexicana. Nunca lo olvides. “ Now if I translate it, he means “You are who you are and you are a Mexican. Don’t ever forget it.” Coming from him it made it important and unforgettable. My uncle never wanted me to forget where I came from or who I am. Of course, it wasn’t just him telling me this, but it was also the rest of my family. To tell you the truth I was afraid I was going to become someone else when I moved into the United State.
I come from a Mexican family in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. I am the oldest child of three on my mother’s side and the fourth child of six on my father’s side. My parents have always wanted the best for me and my siblings so we don’t struggle like they did and still do. As a result, my parents decided to move to the United States when I was six years old illegally. At this time I was just happy that I was getting a chance for a better future. In 2005, my parents filed paperwork to become U.S residents. So by 2012 we became legal U.S. residents of the United States.ç
My journey to success has been complex with many steps, but my vision of my future is not. My dream is to graduate from high school as many other immigrants have aspired to do. However, my journey will continue as I enter college and obtain a degree in microbiology.
To me microbiology is my way of putting in my effort for my family, letting them know I am still me and that I will make up for their sacrifices of coming into the U.S. for me to have a better future. I also want to be a micro biologist because I love science and I plan on doing research on this field to find new vaccines, biological drugs, biofuels, and agricultural products that benefit and help our humanity.
In addition, I want to become someone like Dr. Eugene Cota Robles. He was an honored world-famous, first fully U.S. educated Mexican American to earn a Ph.D. in natural sciences. He might have been born in Arizona, but he was still Mexican in his heart. He didn’t let that change since he was a proud Mexican and helped many U.S. Latinos and African Americans pursue their dreams in having a higher education. This man was also a member of the American Society for Microbiology and part of American Academy of Microbiology. He makes me feel proud of myself for being a Mexican-American and for pursuing my dream of being a microbiologist. I would definitely like to be like him someday.
So like many others who have crossed for a better life, I too walk in the footsteps of a journey that has lead me to who I am now and who I will become in my future. “Tue res lo que eres y tu eres Mexicana. Nunca lo olvides.” “You are who you are and you are Mexican. Don’t ever forget it.”